Secondary/Conditioning.. 3-2-3 rule?

[syd138]

From what I've read on the sticky thread, some people have said to use the 1-2-3 rule.

Other people have said to leave it in the primary for a month.

What I have been doing is 3-2-3 or 2-2-3.

Does this seem reasonable?

The way I figure, it doesn't hurt to keep it in the primary that long.. and better be safe than sorry

 

[ChshreCat]

I did 2-2-3. Kind of split the difference between 1-2-3 and people who primary longer.

 

[BigKahuna]

Does this seem reasonable?

Does your beer taste good?

I don't secondary at all, I just leave it in the primary for 2 - 3 weeks then keg.
Good enough for me....is your procedure good enough for you?

 

[Revvy]

If you are doing 3 weeks in primary, there really is no need to bother with a secondary, everything's nicely compacted at the bottom of the primary by then, just skip it and bottle. The secondary is a clearing vessel..3 weeks in primary has already made your beer clear, in fact probably clearer than if you took it off the yeast at 10 days and secondaried it, at least in my experience.

Plus, one less racking, one less risk of oxydation and/or infection.

 

[syd138]

I guess it can't hurt..

the only reason why Im thinking about this is because one of my friends lets it sit in the primary for about 7-10 days.. then bottles and drinks it a week or two later.

I don't even consider drinking a bottle for at least 3 weeks.

 

[syd138]

I don't secondary at all, I just leave it in the primary for 2 - 3 weeks then keg.
Good enough for me....is your procedure good enough for you?

Well, I know a lot of the more experienced people on this board have said that they put it in the primary for about a month, then bottle/keg.

The only reason why I use the secondary is to try to get a little more of the sediment out.

 

[syd138]

Plus, one less racking, one less risk of oxydation and/or infection.

Good point.

 

[BigKahuna]

The only reason why I use the secondary is to try to get a little more of the sediment out.

and that's fine! I do it with beer that I'm bottling.....with the kegs....it seems to blow the chunks out with the first 3 or 4 pints, then clear as a bell.

 

[mmb]

I've been doing 3 - 4 weeks in primary, crash cool for a few days and then keg.

No crud in the first few pints and only a light dusting of particulate on the bottom of the keg when it blows.

 

[syd138]

I don't have a keg, so I have to bottle.

Probably no need to crash cool if I put in a secondary right?

 

[mmb]

If you give it enough time in secondary, durn near anything will clear up.

4 weeks in primary will compress the yeast cake plenty.

 

[ChshreCat]

After 2 weeks in primary, I still got a good layer of sediment on the bottom of my secondary. But when I opened up a bottle last night it was really clear. I wasn't even careful decanting it into a glass and the last swallow from the glass had no sediment in it.